


make haste from babylon

by tipstaff



Series: running in the shadows [2]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: M/M, also the lone gunmen are only mentioned in this one i'm afraid, scully is in this one!!, they'll probably be in the next one though, this is where shit starts to pop off
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-18
Updated: 2017-09-18
Packaged: 2018-12-31 01:40:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12121761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tipstaff/pseuds/tipstaff
Summary: Arrangements are made, alliances are broken, and the road is met with only slight annoyance.





	make haste from babylon

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this one in present tense and by the time i realized i didn't feel like going back and changing everything. sorry for the inconsistency!!

Mulder really shouldn’t be surprised by this shit anymore. He shouldn’t… but he is.

Krycek has just finished detailing the plot that the Cigarette Smoking Man has constructed to separate him and Scully, to wipe out all of their chances at even glimpsing the truth, let alone exposing it. Mulder’s mind is racing a mile a minute. He’s trying to figure out how to keep Scully safe, if it’s better to keep her in the know or out of the loop, whether or not he should contact Skinner, if he should start making the right calls to the right people. Krycek is babbling now, apologizing over and over, and Mulder has half a mind to kick him out. It’s what he should do, after all; Krycek was against him from the beginning. Mulder turns to the man, taking in his distressed visage. He’s almost pissed off by how upset Krycek seems about this. What right does he have to be upset about a situation that’s a direct result of his lying, scheming behavior? It rubs him the wrong way to hear him talk of how sorry he is, how regretful he feels, when this could have been avoided if Krycek had just made the normal human decision not to betray a man who’s done nothing to him.

But there’s something in his eyes. Something genuine. And as much as Mulder wants to shut him out, he’s not that kind of person. He has a pretty good idea of what would happen to Krycek if he left him to fend for himself, and it’s not good. Not anything he’d wish on another person, and certainly not someone who just saved his skin.

Krycek has trailed off and is staring at Mulder, presumably waiting for him to reply. So Mulder makes a split-second decision that he has the uncomfortable feeling will define his life for quite awhile.

“How do you recommend we move forward?”

Krycek looks bewildered.

“What?”

Mulder sighs, annoyed at having to repeat himself. “What would you say… is the best plan of action. How do we deal with this? You’re the man on the inside, you know what they’re capable of. Should I stick to what I’m doing, lay low for awhile? Or take more extreme measures? Scully’s involved in this too, it’s my responsibility to keep her safe. Tell me how I can do that.”

Krycek blinks twice. Nods, licks his lips. “Okay, uh, well, I don’t think you’re gonna be able to keep acting like nothing’s happening. You’re hardly even _tangentially_ involved with the x-files at this point, or with Agent Scully, so right now, the next best thing may be to… fly under the radar, as they say.”

Mulder’s eyebrows raise. “Are you telling me I need to not only go into hiding, but also convince Scully to do so as well?”

Krycek looks pained. His gaze falls from Mulder to the floor, and his hands flex in his lap. “I’m… God, I’m so sorry. None of this would be-”

“Stop apologizing.” Mulder runs his hand through his hair, pushing it back as he sighs again. “Okay, so, we gotta roll out. Shit. Okay. I’m gonna go call Scully and try to explain, and then I’ll start packing. She’s gonna be so pissed. Do you want-- Do you wanna head home so you can pack, or do you want me to come with you?”

Krycek looks absolutely mystified. “So I can pack?”

Mulder stands, already gathering scattered files. “Yeah, of course. You’re coming with us, obviously. You’re a valuable asset, we can’t afford to lose you.”

Now that sounds fucking stupid, even to Mulder’s own ears. _Valuable asset. Can’t afford to lose you._ Yeah, right. More like the first person who’s ever listened to Mulder for more than thirty seconds without laughing in his face. Mulder doesn’t want to admit to how obvious it is that he wants to keep that validation as long as he can.

“Oh.” Krycek’s eyebrows are practically at his hairline. “Um, I’ll go home now. And pack.” He pauses, nods to himself. “You’ll pick me up?” he asks, his eyes returning to Mulder’s questioningly.

Mulder nods. “Yeah. And then we’ll go get Scully. We’ll have to decide sometime where we’re headed, because I have no fucking clue where to go when the government is trying to kill you. Whatever, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. I gotta call Scully.”

He heads into the kitchen, picks up the phone, and dials Scully’s number from memory. Krycek is already headed out the door, but he hesitates as he crosses the threshold.

“Mulder?”

The dial tone sounds in Mulder’s ear, monotonous rings as he waits for Scully to pick up. He meets Krycek’s eyes.

“Thank you.” If Krycek has anything more to say, he keeps it to himself. He gives Mulder a little wave and gently closes the front door. Mulder is left wondering if-- no, hoping-- he’ll be safe until Mulder can collect him. But before he can become too engrossed in his thoughts of the younger agent, Scully answers the phone.

“Hello?”

“Scully, it’s me. You’re not gonna like this, but just hear me out.”

* * *

Scully throws her bag in the backseat and says, “Okay, somebody tell me what the fuck is going on.”

Mulder pulls out of the parking lot at Scully’s apartment building and onto the highway. “Well, it’s basically what I said over the phone. I don’t know much more than you do; Krycek’s gonna do some explaining when we reach our destination. He was a double agent, working for Cancer Man.”

“So why’s he here with us?” Mulder nearly laughs at Scully’s glare in Krycek’s direction.

“He deserted. I assume we can trust him, considering he’s putting his own life in danger right now, too. Either way, he’s got information we’re gonna need. And you’re with us because he said they were planning on doing something to you, maybe killing you, maybe to get to me. So we’re heading out.”

Scully nods. “Okay… okay. So where are we going?”

“I’m gonna call the Lone Gunmen, I think. We’ll probably stop off to see them, maybe stay with them overnight if we have to. I’m willing to bet, as paranoid as they are, they’ve got safe-houses, or they know somebody who does. If not, we’ll keep driving through the night. We can’t run forever, but we shouldn’t have to. There’s a lot of people in this country who are really suspicious of the government, and, lucky for you guys, you’re looking at probably the one man in America who could get in contact with any of them, anytime. We’ll be alright. I think.”

Scully nods, sits back in her seat, and sighs. “I’d like to state for the record that I’m incredibly pissed off by this situation.”

Mulder grins and slides his gaze from the traffic ahead of him to Krycek. “I told you so.”

The younger man laughs a little, his hands tangled together on his bag, sitting on his lap. “You guys sure know each other well.”

Neither of them answer that, but Mulder can see Scully grinning in the backseat. “Rule number one,” she says quietly. “If we’re going into hiding together, you guys aren’t allowed to gossip about me while I’m not around.”

**Author's Note:**

> as always, questions, comments and critique are welcome and appreciated :-)


End file.
